Everything is Going to be Alright

“All these years I have been assuming that between us words mean roughly the same thing, that among certain people, gentlefolk I don’t mind calling them, there exists a set of meanings held in common.” – Walker Percy, The Moviegoer

In “Everything is Going to Be All Right” Jared Ragland reflects on his personal history living in the American South and visually narrates the existential journey of Walker Percy’s character, Binx Bolling from the 1961 novel, The Moviegoer.  Set in New Orleans, The Moviegoer follows Binx’s pilgrimage for a clearer understanding of himself. In a similar way, Ragland’s work challenges viewers to experience beyond the lens of visual observation, encouraging them to reflect within, and strive for a more personal understanding. Steeped in the New Orlean’s landscape, the images within the series are a combination of black and white photographs and appropriated, digitally sourced images that often blur our perception of reality and evoke a deeper meaning.

Jared Ragland is an Alumnus of LaGrange College and received his Master of Fine Art in Photography from Tulane University in 2003. He currently resides in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.